Clown Fish

The Clown Fish are probably my favorite...it is no wonder Disney made a movie featuring a clown fish named Nemo. They have cute personalities. They dart in and out of their anemone almost poking fun at those that venture near their nest. They have a symbiotic relationship with the anemone. The stinging tentacles of the anemone do not effect the clown fish, so the clown fish receives protection...at the same time, the anemone receives food bits from the clown fish. Another interesting thing about the clown fish is that it can change its sex. If there is not a female to breed with, the dominant male can change its sex to a female so that it can breed.

Getting photos of these little guys is tricky. I have been known to stay at one anemone for over an hour taking shot after shot until finally the fish is in the perfect place, in focus, eyes visible, and lighting correct. Getting two in the frame is even more difficult. At least with digital, I can now check to see if I got the shot or not, and then delete, change settings, and try again. Back in the film days, I would take an entire roll of film and be really lucky to get one decent shot...most of the time, I would get nothing. Of course, all of this on SCUBA fighting currents, watching your time and depth, and being careful to not harm the reef...ah, I love it.

So, below are three different types of Clown Fish...there are actually 28 different species of Clown Fish. The one below is the Pink Anemone Fish, the two in the middle are Percula Clown Fish, and the bottom one is a Maroon Clown Fish (she is my favorite)...